See if you can count the contradictions in this sentence: Rev. Ted Haggard will make a cameo as himself in a Christian sex comedy promoting abstinence, with the tagline “abstinence never felt so good.”
Called The Waiting Game, the movie follows a schlub named Jack who’s super excited about finally losing his virginity on his wedding night, but is foiled when his fiancee leaves him at the altar. He then goes on a quest to meet a replacement wife, while contemplating whether or not to remain abstinent.
In 2006 Haggard resigned in disgrace from the New Life Church after revelations that he had had a drug-fueled sexual relationship with a gay male former escort. After years of denying that he is gay, he recently admitted to GQ that “probably, if I were 21 in this society, I would identify myself as a bisexual.”
Based on the preview, Haggard’s cameo takes place at a coffee shop, where Jack is questioning his abstinence: “I’m so frustrated. You know, I’m just going to do what I want to do anyway, it’s not like it’s going to wind up on the front page of the newspaper.” Haggard leans over and quips: “Hey buddy, I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
The movie appears to be basically a low-budget, Christian-themed knock-off of The 40 Year-Old Virgin, but likely even worse than it sounds (sample dialogue: Jack: ” I just don’t know if I want to save myself anymore.” Jack’s friend: “That’s the problem Jack, you can’t save yourself.”).
Here’s the preview:
Rich Praytor, one of the producers, acknowledged the similarities between The Waiting Game and Virgin. “I love all the Judd Apatow movies — ’40 Year Old Virgin,’ ‘Knocked Up,’ ‘Superbad’ — they’re all great,” he told the Colarado Springs Gazette. “So we wanted to take something like that into the Christian arena.”
“They’re just starving for anything comedy,” Emilio Martinez, another writer/producer, said.
Candace Cameron, of Full House fame, is also attached to the project as Jack’s love interest.
Praytor and Martinez are looking to raise $2 million, so they can start filming in Colorado Springs September 1st of this year.
